News Flash (Updated 4/15)

Well, life is going on as usual here in this Starr household. The boys are doing quizzing, Jessica has started school, and the snow just keeps on coming. Hope everyone else has enjoyed their first month of the new year. A couple of weeks ago Jared messed up his knee playing basketball. We took him to the ER and they told us if he could not put his full weight on it by the next week to call an orthopedic doctor. A week later he feels like he can put his full weight on it but still wants to call the doctor so he knows exactly what is wrong with it. The doctor told Jared he couldn't play basketball for 24-48 hours. My dad said if he played after 48 hours it would be over his dead body. Jared is going to an orthopedic on Tuesday.

2/03: Jared went to the orthopedic and they figured that it was probably a meniscus tear. Wednesday he will get an MRI done and the results will be back by Friday. It would be good that his meniscus would be torn rather than his ACL or something along those lines. I will try to keep everybody posted on it.

2/05: We just got the MRI back and there is good new and bad news. The good news is that there is a slight tear in his meniscus. The bad news is that he also achieved tearing his ACL. The meniscus, depending on how bad it is, may be able to heal by itself. The only way the ACL can be healed is by surgery. Hopefully, everything will turn out alright!

2/10: Jared just got back from the doctor. The surgery has been scheduled for March 12. The doctor said that there would be five to seven months rehab. He also said that Jared would not be able to play until it was 95 percent. They have a machine that they are able to tell what the percentage of the knee is. The really sad part is that he won't be able to take out the trash or do the dishes. He will be able to sit in the corner and play the Xbox 360 though. I will keep you updated after the surgery and beyond!!!!

3/2: Today is Jared's first day of physical therapy. Last night he ran the aisles, so we are hoping he will be able to play basketball soon :) Jared is hoping that with this physical therapy he will be able to dunk by the time he is able to play basketball again. His surgery is 10 days from now.

3/12: The surgery is over! Jared has a brace on his right leg which makes it where he cannot bend his leg at all. He had to be at the hospital at 5 a.m. this morning. Jonathan and Anthony came to the hospital at around 8:30. They sat and did pretty much nothing till around 2:00 p.m. Jared is taking about 5 different medications right now. The doctor said that he had around 80% of his meniscus left and that a little bit more would grow back. I believe that he has to keep his brace on until the next time he sees the doctor, this means he will have to sleep with that thing on.

3/24: Jared went in for his second check-up since the surgery today. They took out the staples that were in his leg to keep the incisions together. He said that he was very happy that the staples were out. He is becoming very mobile again and can bend his knee at a 90 degree angle. For some reason (beyond my knowledge) he is not yet able to do the dishes. I would post some pictures of his leg with the staples in it, but I am not at liberty to post them. There is a slideshow of him at the hospital a little bit farther down.

4/15: In two weeks Jared will get the pleasure of not having to wear a brace. As it is know he does not have to wear a brace when he is inside the house. Which means to him he can go downstairs into the gym without a brace on and play volleyball with the rest of the youth group. Technically speaking he is still inside the house, but for some reason he did not what to tell the docotor about that. He is hoping that when the brace goes his job will come. He has not yet talk to the doctor about going to work with his brace on.

Here is a picture of him on crutches...

He wasn't able to bend his knee much more than that the day he hurt it.